Weft exhaustion indicating apparatus



Dec. 2, 1941. J. ABBQTT 2,264,867

WEFT EXHAUSTION INDICATING APPARATUS Filed July 12, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheetl 5%? If f if i a4 w f f n"? )I E V W 1 g J5 if if Dec. 2, 1941 E. J.ABBOTT 2,264,867

WEFT EXHAUSTION INDICATING APPARATUS Filed July 12, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet-2 Patented Dec. 2, 1941 Edward J; ttila; Wilton,

Abbott Machine CompamyWilton, N; poration of New Hampshire N. '11.;assignor to H., a cor- I "(Application $il- 3 101 3 Claims. (01.139-205) 1 Fig. 7 is .a diagrammatic view of the This invention relatesto looms and more particularly to mechanism for detecting theexhaustionof the filling yarn in the shuttle and for controlling any part of theloom in accordance with the detection of such exhaustion The inventioninvolves in its preferred form an improved form of shuttle, an improvedform of shuttle bobbin, the shuttle and -.bobbin operating to close apartial electric circuit within the shuttle upon the exhaustion of theyarn, and

an improved form of means adapted toleooperate with the shuttle toconnect the partial electric circuit of the shuttle with the remainderof an electric circuit adapted to respond to the detection ofexhaustion.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a more reliableclosure of the partial electric circuit within the shuttleupontheoccurrence of exhaustion; to provide simplified electricalconnections within the shuttle and;

shuttle bobbin; and to provide .nnproved. and more reliable contactingmechanism on the shuttle and atthe shuttle boxes to connect the partialelectric circuit of the shuttle with' vthe remainder of the loomcontrolling circuit. .A

further object of the invention is toprovide a yarn-contactingcircuit-closing element so constructed and arranged with relation tothe'yarn.

on the bobbin as to contact the endmost turns of yarn on the bobbin andadapted to allow these turns to be unwound without any possi bility oftheir catching on the yarn-contacting" element. I

Other objects of invention and .features .of advantage and utility willbe apparent from this specification and its drawings wherein thelinvention is explained by way of example.

In the drawings: r

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of atypical iloom with the shuttle contactplates of the present invention applied thereto; T i

Fig. 2 is a plan view with a portion thereof in horizontal sectionshowing the right hand end of the shuttle of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line Fig. 2; i

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a portionfof the shuttle shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken through the longitudinal axis of theshuttle bobbin;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line fifi of Fig. 2, but showing theshuttleb'obbin as in a condition of substantial-exhaustion and showingthe yarn-contacting element of the shuttle in its exhaustion detectingposition;

is provided witha resilient. bobbinholding yoke l2 and a shuttle bobbinindicated generally by the reference character .I3, both ofthetypeemployed in automatic looms, the bobbin having "s enlarged woodenbase l 4fprovided1with three metallic rings l5 adapted to engagecorresponding recesses in the yoke I2. A guide plate I! is provided asis customary :in shuttles of this type to assist in positioning the baseof .thebobbin in ey e- Referring now toEig. 6, the yarnY wound on thebobbin has a small reserve or bunch sufficient in amount to supply oneor a iew picks of the. shuttle before the bobbin becomes absolutelybare. illustratedin Fig. 6, this reserve takes the form of threesmallconnected windirigs l8,- I9 and 20, the last of these (or the first tobe wound on the bobbin) terminating a short distance fromthe enlargedbase M of thebobbin. It will be unders tood that in winding the bobbin,after winding ,whatever reserve is required, the yarn is then carriedcompletely over tothe enlarged base Hand traversed with a progressivelyshifting traverse so that the bar.- rel of theb'obbin is covered nearlyto its outer tip, Fig. 2 showing a typical shape of the righthand partof the body of yarnon the full bobbin. As shown iii-Figs. 5 and 6, thebarrelofthe spindle is encircled with a thin metallicierrule 26 abuttingthe enlarged head portion [4. a part of the ferrule '26, being exposedwhen allrof the yarn exceptthat constituting the. small. reserve hasbeen unwound. A yarn-contacting element in the form. of a metal. spiralspring 28 is fastened at its opposite ends in the sides of the shuttleso that it presses inwardly and somewhat forwardly against the endmostturns of yarn on the wound bobbin abutting the enlarged head .14. Theleft end of the spring 28 as shown in Fig. 3 is. secured to one sidewall of the 'shuttle by a screw 30 of which the threads interfit withthe coils of the spring. The opposite, end of the spring has its endportion of wire straightshuttle. As shown in Fig. 3, the coil spring 28'is deflected by the yarn of an unexhausted bobbin, but as shown in Fig.6 comes into contact with the ferrule 26 upon substantial exhaustion ofthe yarn.

The ferrule 26 is connected by a wire 38 with one of the metal rings Iencircling the enlarged base 14. In addition to the contact plate 36,the shuttle is equipped with a similar contact plate 36 which, asindicated in Fig. 2, is connected by a wire 46 With the transverse pin4! that retains the yoke [2 in position.

By this arrangement of electrical connections the contact plates 35 and36 are electrically connected when the yarn has exhausted to thecondition of Fig. 6 and form a partial electrical circuit comprised ofthe contact plate 35, spring 38, ferrule 26, wire 38, one of the ringsl5, yoke I2, pin 4|, wire 49 and contact plate 36 Before the yarn hasbeen unwound to the condition shown in Fig. 6, this partial circuit iskept open by the fact that the yarn-contacting spring 28 is held out ofcontact with the ferrule 26.

By the location and construction of the yarncontacting coil spring 28,the yarn is enabled to be unwound readily without any danger of catchingon this spring. The yarn unwinding from the bobbin shown in Fig. 2 iswithdrawn altogether toward the left, and the spring 28 pressing againstthe inclined face of the yarn mass abutting the enlarged head I4 doesnot obstruct the unwinding.

Referring to Figs, 7 and 8 where the vertically shifting shuttle boxesat one end of the loom are diagrammatically shown, each shifting shuttlebox is equipped with the usual binder 50 pivoted at 5| andspring-pressed to receive and retain the entering shuttle. On the binderfor each shuttle box, near the pivot 5| there is provided a verticalblock of insulating material 52 slotted at 53 and 54. A wire 56 ofspring material extends from a binding post 5'! horizontally over to theblock 52 and there is bent horizontally so as to extend through the slotin the block to the rear face of the block, At this point the wire 56 isbent into a horizontal loop 56, lying in a plane parallel with the pathof the shuttle. Each shuttle box is equipped with two such wires 56 andtheir loops 58 are positioned so that their edges make contact with theshuttle contact plates 35 and 36 when the shuttle is retained in theshuttle box by the binder.

Referring to Figs. 1, 4 and 7, each of the shuttle contact plates 35 and36 is provided with vertical corrugations, that is, corrugationsextending perpendicular to the path of travel of the shuttle andperpendicular to the planes of the wire loops 58. The corrugations onthese plates and the small area but firm nature of the contact affordedby the spring-pressed loops 58 afford a definite reliable electricalcontact quite unaffected by the tendency of such contact elements toacquire a gummy coating when used in a loom. Gum cannot accumulate inany definite spot on the surface of the contact plates 35 and 36 reliedupon for contact, because it is scraped into the recesses of thecorrugations. Likewise gum is unable to accumulate on the portion of theloop 58 relied upon for contact because. the travel of the corrugatedplates oyer the loop continually keeps the contacting surface of theloop clean. 7

Referring to Fig. 7 one of the two bind ng posts 5'! of each shuttle boxis grounded to the frame of the machine while the remaining bindingposts of the group of shuttle boxes are connected with L-shaped contactplates 60, BI, 62 and. 63 respectively. As the shuttle boxes shift upand down these L-shaped contact plates make contact with a stationaryspring contact 66 which is connected by a wire 6'! to whatever controlmechanism is to be actuated by the detection of exhaustion, the otherside of the control circuit being grounded to the frame of the machine.In this way initiation of the action of the control mechanism isdetermined by the condition of the bobbin in the shuttle of whatevershuttle box has its L-shaped contact member in contact with thestationary spring contact 66. Preferably,

= the stationary spring contact 66 is so positioned that it contactswith the L-shaped contact of Whatever shuttle box is in the pickingposition, so that the loom is controlled by the particular shuttle thatis about to make a pick.

As examples of control mechanism which the electrical circuit of thepresent invention in its broader aspects is suitable to operate, theremay be cited; mechanism for stopping the loom, mechanism for changingshuttles, and mechanism for replenishing exhausted shuttles with newbobbins. In the form illustrated in the present application, the loomcontrol mechanism is a loom brake, the functions of changing shuttlesand replenishing bobbins being performed manually.

I claim:

1. A shuttle having therein two side portions with a space therebetweenfor a bobbin, means for holding a bobbin in said space, a coil wirespring extending across said space in position to contact with and bedeflected laterally by a winding ofyarn on the bobbin, the coil wirespring being adapted upon exhaustion of the said yarn to press laterallyagainst an electrically conducting portion of the bobbin, and electriccontacts on the shuttle connected to said spring and said bobbin-holdingmeans respectively.

2 A shuttle having therein two side portions with a space therebetweenfor a bobbin, means for holding a bobbin in said space, a coil wirespring extending across said space in position to contact with and bedeflected laterally by a winding of yarn on the bobbin, the coil wirespring being adapted upon exhaustion of the said yarn to press laterallyagainst an electrically conducting portion of the bobbin, and electriccontacts on the shuttle, one end of the Wire of the spring being clampedagainst the shuttle by one of said contacts, and the other of saidcontacts being connected to said bobbin-holding means.

3. A shuttle having therein two, side portions with a space therebetweenfor a bobbin, means for holding a bobbin in said space, a coil wirespring extending across said space in position to contact with and bedeflected laterally by a W nd n of ram. 1 he bo n. he coil Wire springbeing adapted upon exhaustion of the said yarn to. press laterallyagainst an electrically conducting portion of the bobbin, and electriccontacts on the shuttle, one of said contacts being connected to saidbobbin-holding means, the other of said contacts being connected to oneend of the coil wire spring, and a screw engaging a side portion of theshuttle and having threads interfitted with coils of the opposite end ofsaid spring to hold the same.

EDWARD J. ABBOTT.

